Benefits of visual management in construction : cases from
the transportation sector in England

Tezel, BA; Aziz, ZUH

Abstract

Purpose :
The purpose of this paper is to explore the benefits of Visual Management (VM) systems in
transportation construction projects in England.
Design/methodology/approach:
Following a comprehensive literature review, the benefits of VM were investigated through
action and case study research executed within two construction projects in England.

Findings:
The main findings are; VM can contribute to (i) increased self-management, (ii) better team
coordination, (iii) better promises or an increasing Plan Percent Complete (PPC), (iv) easier
control for the management, and (v) improved workplace conditions in the transportation
sector. It is important for the management to obtain the engagement of their workforce for
VM through increased participation and demonstrating the actual benefits. However,
managerial monitoring and control on the systems should not be underestimated.

Originality/value:
The transportation sector in England has been systematically deploying lean construction
techniques in its operations for a while. One of those lean techniques is a close-range visual
communication strategy called Visual Management (VM). The literature on the VM
implementation in construction is scarce and generally limited to the building construction
context. This paper documents the benefits of VM systems for the transportation sector by
using data captured through both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. The
paper also identifies a set of recommendations for similar research efforts in the
transportation context in the future.

Citation

the transportation sector in England. Construction innovation (London. Online), 17(2), 125-157. https://doi.org/10.1108/CI-05-2016-0029

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 20, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Mar 6, 2017
• Publication Date: Apr 3, 2017
• Deposit Date: Jan 9, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 26, 2017
• Journal: Construction Innovation: Information, Process, Management
• Print ISSN: 1471-4175
• Publisher: Emerald
• Volume: 17
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 125-157
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/CI-05-2016-0029
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/CI-05-2016-0029
• Related Public URLs: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/loi/ci